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Matthew Vella
The European Commission has said it will not be looking into the procurement of the Security Service’s interception technology – the eavesdropping equipment being supplied by Israeli company Verint, which has reportedly close links to the Israeli government.
Verint was chosen by the Malta Communications Authority to supply the MSS with its legal interception system, but the procurement is being challenged by Italian firm RCS, the runner-up to the MCA tender.
MEP Joseph Muscat asked the Commission for its comments on Verint’s alleged involvement, under its former name Comverse Infosys, in an espionage scandal involving Israeli military spies after the September 11 attacks.
According to Le Monde, a confidential US Drug Enforcement Agency report – seen by MaltaToday – registered dozens of encounters between CIA and DEA officers being approached by covert Israeli spies posing as art students selling their art. Some of them worked at Comverse Infosys, which provides US law enforcement agencies with interception technology.
The report claimed the CIA had been concerned about the vulnerability of the system to unlawful third-party access, through what is called a “back door”, which allows the company full access to the system to keep it free of glitches.
Comverse Infosys was also a recipient of Israeli government funds for its research and development.
Commissioner Franco Frattini said the Commission was aware of the reports on Verint but it was not “in a position to comment on these reports, which are mainly concerned with circumstances lying outside the EU.”
Frattini also said the procedure for the procurement from Verint to provide the MSS with the interception system was being “examined by Maltese jurisdictions”.
“Against this background, the Commission does not consider looking into the procurement procedure for the award of the contract in question, unless the Honourable Member is aware of a potential breach of European Community rules on public procurement in the award of the contract in question,” Frattini said.
MCA challenged
The Malta Communications Authority is now facing a challenge in court from Italian firm RCS who claim discrimination in the award of the contract to Verint.
RCS claim they had the cheaper price and were denied an appeal to the MCA’s decision. In turn the MCA has claimed the tender, for which they assisted the Security Service to procure, was not under their auspices but under the Security Service itself, which does not fall under normal procurement laws.
RCS also claim Verint was already supplying Go Mobile and the MSS with their own individual interception systems, a factor which they say could have influenced the award.
Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg has stated in parliament that Verint “does not have automatic access to the data collected” – a reference to suspicions that Malta’s emails and telephone conversations may be prone to unauthorised access by third parties.
Tonio Borg stated that Verint was a commercial company and not an “agent” of other entities, in response to questions by Labour shadow minister Gavin Gulia.
Gavin Gulia has claimed the MSS are still able to eavesdrop without executive authorisation after expressing concern over government’s power to authorise phone tapping.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
Links: www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/07/30/top_story.html
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